Oct 31, 2025 4 min read

Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter

Christa Johnson, communications specialist for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, said without SNAP benefits, food banks could struggle to meet the region’s needs.

Miss: Nearly 2 million Pennsylvanians who depend on food assistance are beginning to feel the effects of the ongoing federal government shutdown. The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services announced last week that benefits from the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program will not be sent out until the shutdown ends. The U.S. Department of Agriculture sent a letter to state directors of SNAP directing them to “hold” on sending November payments to participating retailers. SNAP is a major piece of the nation’s social safety net, and the pause will deal a blow to families, seniors, and children who depend on it, food banks say. “SNAP is our nation’s first line of defense against hunger. It provides critical support to families in need, and without it, the charitable food network simply cannot meet the scale of demand on its own,” said Christa Johnson, communications specialist for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. Among Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, Fayette County has the second-highest percentage of populations benefitting from SNAP, at 24.3%. Greene County ranks sixth at 20.2%, and in Washington County, 12.9% of the population relies on SNAP, ranking 46th. Johnson encouraged people in need of food to visit pittsburghfoodbank.org/findfood or to call 211 to find help.

MetroCreative

Help through the state’s Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program will be delayed for one month because of the government shutdown.

Miss: In more fallout from the government shutdown, the start of the annual program that helps more than 300,000 Pennsylvania households pay their home heating bills has been delayed until December. The state Department of Human Services said the government shut down before the yearly allocation for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program could be approved. Pennsylvania received $229 million last year. DHS gives those benefits to the utility company or home heating fuel providers for residents who need help to cover their monthly heating bills. “I urge Congress and the White House to recognize the serious consequences that limiting heating assistance will have on the health and safety of people in Pennsylvania,” Human Services Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh said in a release. “Congress must come together for a solution that protects people most at risk.” Electric and gas companies also offer aid to qualifying customers. A list of those programs can be found at puc.pa.gov/about-the-puc/consumer-education/utility-assistance-programs. Residents can also find help with immediate needs at pa-navigate.org. For local help, they can call 211 or go online to www.pa211.org.

Courtesy of WCTC

Wedding Cookie Table Community members donated cookies to Pittsburgh Zone 4 police officers and to first responders following the Tree of Life shooting in 2018.

Hit: In sweeter news, cookie maven Laura Magone has cooked up another idea. The founder of The Wedding Cookie Table Community on Facebook – a group that has grown to include more than 381,000 bakers worldwide in the decade since she launched it – aims to set the world record for The World’s Largest Christmas Cookie Exchange. It’s the Monongahela woman’s second foray into the Guinness World Records arena: In 2019, the group established the record for largest wedding cookie table with 400 bakers – professional and amateur – who made 88,425 cookies for the win. On Nov. 30, from 1 to 4 p.m., teams of 10 members (or fewer) will gather at Kringle’s Kitchen in the Washington County Fairgrounds in an attempt to set a world record. Teams from around the world can participate remotely by setting up cookie exchanges in their areas. On a Facebook page Magone started for The World’s Largest Cookie Exchange, information on setting up the cookie exchange and gathering and submitting evidence is provided. “Out of everything I’ve done in my life, the Wedding Cookie Table Community is what I will be remembered for,” Magone told the newspaper last week. “And I am happy for that.”